Tobacco sheet material and method of producing the same



Oct. 14, 1952 P. A. SARTORETTO ET AL 2,613,672

TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME ,Filed July 11, 1946 DRYING AND REDUCING IN SIZE FORMING AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE MILLING ADDING XANTHATED CELLULOSE AND MIXING SHEET FORMING FIG. I

DRYING AND REDUCING IN SIZE CONTAINING WATER FORMING AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE REMOVING MOISTURE CUTTING OR SHREDDING G O N DI U Em u AM E G .M 6 N N l A I' L IV A E L XE L I s m N m 8 W m m L P AE B C D 68 CUTTING /0R SHREDDING REMOVING MOISTURE SHEET FORMING FI G. 4

FIGS PIC-3.6 F|G.7

.INVENTORS PAUL A. SARTORETTO B JOSEPH H. CARTER,JR.

4? M ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 14, 1952 TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME Paul A. Sartoretto, New York, and Joseph H.

Carter, Jr., Forest Hills, N. Y., assignors to I11- ternational Cigar Machinery Company, a cor=- poration of New Jersey Application July 11, 1946, Serial No. 682,859

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to reconstituted tobacco sheets, films and filaments, and the method of producing such sheets, films and filaments, and to cigars, cigarettes and smoking articles incorporating such materials, and more particularly to the formation of reconstituted tobacco sheets and films which are self-supporting, tough, fieX .ible and possess wet and dry strength as good or better than natural leaf tobacco. Our sheets, films and filaments simulate natural tobacco leaves and pieces thereof, and retain substantially all the natural characteristics of tobacco such as color, taste and aroma.

Each year large quantities of tobacco which may be considered by-products are discarded as unsuitable for use in forming smoking articles, and sold at low prices with considerable loss to manufacturers. Actually, except for size, much of these types of tobacco is valuable, and in many cases its salvage for use in smoking articles would represent an important gain to manufacturers. Attempts have been made from time to time to convert these tobacco materials, such as stems, shorts, broken pieces, scrap or dust, and other tobacco waste into sheets or tobacco paper. In all instances, however, so far as is known, none of these attempts has proven satisfactory and such tobacco sheet materials have proven to be of no use in the manufacture of smoking tobacco articles such as cigars or cigarettes.

Paper has been produced by the reduction of tobacco stems and scrap to paper-forming pulp by the use of chemicals added according to conventional paper making practices wherein the fibers of the stock are separated from their binding materials in producing a cellulose pulp in which the fibers can interlock to provide the mat in the finally resulting product or paper sheet. These practices, however, when applied to the production of paper simulating tobacco (or tobacco leaf) have proved unsatisfactory because in making such paper, the reduction of the tobacco stock in forming the necessary pulp destroys and/or removes practically all of the essential and valuable characteristics of tobacco such as color, taste and aroma. Hence the resulting products have little value as a material for use in making cigars or cigarettes, or other tobacco products.

Other attempts have been made to form tobacco paper without the-use of chemicals as by beating tobacco waste to reduce the fibers to a predetermined length after which the soluble portions have been strained off and the resulting pulp has been run through a Fourdrinier machine to form tobacco paper. Here again the resulting product has failed in the simulation of natural tobacco because of the removal of the desired soluble constituents which are essential to and characteristic of natural tobacco, such for instance as color, taste and aroma.

Also in connection with the prior art tobacco papers mentioned above, the resulting products have lacked strength and flexibility necessary to the use of such material in the manufacture of smoking articles.

One of the main problems, therefore, solved by this invention is that of using tobacco in the formation of reconstituted tobacco sheet material or film or filaments is that of forming a sheet or film which will have the requisite strength and flexibility yet simulate tobacco in appearance, retain characteristics and aroma of tobacco, and be suitable for the purposes required in subsequent use in forming cigars and other tobacco products for oral use. It is obvious, however, that our invention is not limited only to types of tobacco discarded in the processes of making smoking articles or products, and that other grades of tobacco can be used.

The present invention teaches a method of forming tobacco sheet material in self-supporting continuous sheets, films, or filaments from tobacco, preferably tobacco by-products such as dust, scrap, stems, clippings and the like, which have both the strength and flexibility required for utilization as cigar binders and wrappers or which can be shredded and added to natural shredded cigarette tobacco Without breaking down, both during the manufacture of such smoking articles or the subsequent handling thereof by the ultimate consumer, the smoker.

Materials made in accordance with the invention have the desired wet strength, which feature is of special importance in the case of cigar binders because it enables the sheet or film tobe moistened a desired amount before being cut and wrapped about a cigar filler without failure or rupture of the sheet when rolled about a cigar filler.

When wet strength is not as important when these tobacco sheets, films or filaments are used for cigarette manufacture, it neverthless, c ontributes materially to the strength of shreds made therefrom, and tends to insure that each shred will hold up and not be crushed or broken when made into cigarettes. Such sheet materials, made in accordance with the present invention, retain substantially unchanged the natural tobacco characteristics of color, taste and aroma, and when smoking articles made therefrom are smoked, a smoke essentially the same in taste and aroma as that from the constituent tobaccos of the reconstituted sheet is obtained.

According to the present invention, tobacco in the form of stems, scraps, dust or shorts is converted into a dispersion in the presence of an agent which acts as a means for preventing sepa ration of the solution and also reacts to perform a moisture resisting function in the final product or sheet.

Our reconstituted tobacco sheet material has a wet and dry strength closely approximately natural leaf tobacco so that it adds greatly to the smoking qualities of cigars and cigarettes formed therefrom. It can be used as a binder or wrapper in cigars without disintegrating in the smokers mouth. Since it has a high wet strength, it is especially adapted for use as a binder or Wrapper in cigar manufacture because it can be moisture conditioned in the same manner as binder or wrapper leaf and applied about a bunch Without breaking or tearing. The color closely approximates natural leaf tobacco so that its use as a binder or wrapper or both does not detract from the appearance of the finished cigar.

We may form filaments directly from the slurry or dispersion or shred the sheet according to known practices. Such materials can be admixed with natural shredded leaf tobacco in any desired proportion according to the requirements of a particular blend. Due to the moisture resisting qualities of the filaments or shreds the smoker is not subjected to separation of shreds in his mouth. Also, a in the case of cigars, when made from our novel reconstituted tobacco sheet material, since substantially all soluble and insoluble constituents and properties of the tobacco areretained in the final sheet, films, shreds and filaments, the smokin qualitie remain approximately the same as natural tobacco.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to produce novel self-supporting continuous tobacco sheet or film material which is tough and flexible, having some elastic properties when humidified and which has sufiicient wet strength to prevent disintegration of the film or sheet when subjected to moisture.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved method of forming self-supporting continuous reconstituted tobacco sheets and films having the general appearance of natural leaf tobacco except for vein and stem arrangement in which the wet strength is substantially equal to or better than that of the natural tobacco from which such films and sheets are made.

It is a further object of our invention to form reconstituted tobacco sheets, films or filaments containing regenerated cellulose which con tributes materially to the wet strength or moisture resisting properties of the material which remain approximately the same as natural tobacco.

It is a further object of our invention to provide novel smoking articles and products, such as cigarettes and cigars containing desired quantities of our novel reconstituted tobacco material. Our novel reconstituted tobacco material resists disintegration when brought into contact with moisture, and at the same time its smoking qualities remain approximately the same as natural tobacco.

It i also an object of our invention to provide novel smoking articles such as cigars and cigarettes wherein elements of these articles consists of our reconstituted tobacco sheet material which contributes both to their physical strength and smoking qualities.

With these and other objects not specifically .lil

4 mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain combinations and constructions which will be hereinafter fully described, and then set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and form a part of this specification, and in Which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Figure 'l discloses a diagrammatic showing of one wayof carrying out the method of the invention;

Figure 2 discloses a diagrammatic showing of a modified method of carrying out the invention;

Figure 3 discloses a diagrammatic showin of the completed product;

Figure 4' shows a typical cigar having a binder formed from our reconstituted tobacco sheet material;

Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a cigar in which the wrapper and binder are formed of our novel reconstituted tobacco sheet material;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a cigar havinga reconstituted tobacco sheet wrapper;

Figure '7 is a cross-sectional view of a cigar in which the filler, in whole or in part, consists of reconstituted tobacco sheet material; and

Figure 8 is a View of a cigarette in which our novel reconstituted tobacco sheet material forms a part of the filler.

The reduction of the tobacco employed can be generally carried out much in the same procedure specified in the co-pending Wells and Sowa application, Serial No. 414,221, filed October 9, 1941, now Patent 2,433,877, granted January 6, 1948. The reduction, however, to a colloidal dispersion or a liquid solution containing colloidally dispersed tobacco may be simplified by using a colloid mill, such as a Premier Colloid Mill, employing carborundum faced rotor and stator.

Referring to Figure 1, which shows a preferred method of performing the invention, it will be observed that a given quantity of tobacco, preferably dried is reduced to smal lsize, by suitable conventional drying and comminuting mechanism designated 2. The tobacco, which may consist of stems, scrap, shorts, dust or a mixture of either, is mixed with a quantity of neutral fiuid such as water. To the mixture is also added from one percent to twenty percent by weight of the tobacco in the mixture, of a water dispersiblc cellulose. For example, a carboxy methyl cellulose salt, such as sodium salt, may be added before or during the milling. Other alkali metal salts of carboxy methyl cellulose including the ammonium salt may be used. We have found that best results are obtained when using between five and ten percent of the sodium carboxy methyl cellulose salt. Although the addition of a water dispersible cellulose tends to form a better dispersion because it prevents separation, it maybe omitted. In'practice, however, we prefer to include it.

As a typical example, the mixture may be made up of ninty-five grams of tobacco Waste, five grams sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, and eight-hundred cc. of water. This is mixed together in a suitable conventional container designated generally at 4, and then poured into a colloidal mill such as a Premier colloid mill, or a conventional type of ball mill may be used. The mixture is milled, designated generally at 6 in Figure l, for a period of time suflicient to reduce the tobacco to a point where preferably a large proportion thereof is colloidal in size. The

water-solids ratio is exemplary. Other ratios of solids to fluids can be used.

The next step in the process, indicated generally at 8, is the addition of viscose solution, preferably formed from lint cotton. The viscose added may be formed in any desired manner for instance as follows: The lint cotton is steeped in a fifteen percent sodium hydroxide solution at approximately five degrees centigrade for twenty minutes.

The cotton is squeezed or pressed until twice its dry weight of the sodium hydroxide solution is retained. That is, until the weight of the sodi um hydroxide solution remaining is equal to two=- hundred percent ofthe weight of the original dry cotton. It is then shredded or cut so that the individual fibers are between one-fourth and three-fourths inch in length. The length of fibers, however, is not critical and other lengths may be used, if found desirable.

An amount of carbon bisulfide, equal to the weight of the dry cotton (one-hundred percent) is added to the cotton in a stoppered container. The contents are tumbled for concise time intervals (between fifty to seventy minutes, depending upon the results desired) at a concise temperature, after which the excess carbon bisulfide, which has not reacted, is evaporated under reduced pressure.

Water is added and the xanthated cotton is brought into solution or dispersion by stirring. This is the viscose solution referred to above of which portions are added to the carboxy methyl cellulose tobacco dispersion or slurry just before spreading into a film. Enough viscose solution is added to incorporate between five to ten per cent Xanthated cellulose in the sheet.

As mentioned above, the xanthation period or reaction time at room temperature 21 0'. (approximately 80 F.) is critical and is determined by the results desired in the finished tobacco sheet or film. If, however, any one oi the variable conditions such as temperature, bisulfide concentration or time of reaction is changed, the others must be reestablished to obtain the desired concentration. Likewise, concentration of sodium hydroxide, temperature and time intervals of steeping are variable conditions which effect the Xanthation process. Experiments have shown that xanthation between fifty and seventy minutes produces a viscose which disperses satisfactorily. The best results are obtained with sixty minutes of Xanthation.

The slurry or colloidal dispersion with the added viscose is then formed into sheets or films, indicated at E2, in any desired manner. One suitable manner is to spread out as a thin coating on an imperforate stainless steel or chromium plated metal sheet or belt it. This prevents soluble constituents from being removed from the final sheet or film, so that substantially all desirable tobacco properties and characteristics of color, aroma, taste and flavor are retained. l-Ieat is then applied at a moisture removing or drying zone it in order to evaporate the moisture and also to eifect a regeneration of the cellu lose from the cellulose xanthate contained in the slurry. This results in the desired product,

a reconstituted tobacco sheet or film having the desired wet strength, and also tensile strength and one which simulates natural tobacco, in color, taste and aroma. The sheets or films issuing from the drying zone are stripped from the casting surface in any known manner. The sheets or films, shown in Figure 3, are passed to cutters 18 where they are cut to desired length for use say :in cigar manufacture, or shredded to desired width for use, say in cigarette manufacture. Any conventional stripping, cutting and/or shredding mechanism may be used for these purposes.

In the case when the ammonium salt of carboxy methyl cellulose is added to the aqueous tobacco mixture, the wet strength of the resulting sheets, films and filaments is higher due to the fact that in addition to the formation of regenerated cellulosefrom the xanthated cellulose added to the milled dispersion, an insolubleregenerated cellulosic compound or regneratedcarboxy methyl cellulose is formed during the drying of the sheets or films by the application of heat.

Figures 4 to 8, inclusive, disclose smoking articles in which novel reconstituted tobacco sheet or film material is used. When this material is to be used as a filler in cigarettes it can be formed directly into fillers of the desired width and thickness and cut to suitable lengths,-or the sheets or films may be shredded by any known mechanism to desired width and length.

Figure 4 shows a typical cigar consisting of filler tobacco 32, which may be either long or short filler tobacco. A binder 34 formed from a piece of reconstituted tobacco sheet material composed preferably of tobaccos'or tobacco byproducts resulting from the normal manufacture of cigars. The wrapper 3B is natural leaf tobacco of any desired type customarily used for this purpose. Since our reconstituted tobacco sheet has at least the same or better dry and wet strength, as normal leaf tobacco binders and wrappers, and since it does not break down or disintegrate when placed in a smokers mouth, its use as a binder or a wrapper is very satisfactory.

In the cigar of Figure 5, both the binder and wrapper 52 are made of our novel reconstituted tobacco sheet. The filler 44 may be natural tobacco leaves or particles, respectively, depending upon whether the particular cigar is a long filler or a short filler type.

The cigar illustrated in Figure 6 has a natural leaf filler 48, a natural leaf binder 5| and a reconstituted tobacco sheet wrapper 53.

Obviously if desired for purposes of blending, valuable cigar tobaccos which because of size are not satisfactory for'manufacture into cigars, can be processed in the manner described hereinabove to form reconstituted tobacco sheets for use in cigars. Therefore, the cigar filler 56 can be made entirely from reconstituted tobacco sheet or contain desired quantities as an admixture with the normal tobacco leaf filler employed. This type of cigar is shown in Figure *7 in which the filler 56 consists in whole or in part of cigar type reconstituted tobacco sheet.

Figure 8 illustrates the use of our novel ,reconstituted tobacco sheet in cigarettes. A cigarette 6i! having the usual paper wrapper 62 is provided with a filler consisting of the customary shredded tobacco 63, and in addition shredded reconstituted tobacco sheet or filaments M. The

reconstituted tobacco sheet. material can be a for the particular device, selected to illustrate the invention, is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. It is not, therefore, to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What we claim is:

1. The method of reconstituting tobacco to form self-supporting continuous tobacco films or sheets for use in fabricating tobacco products fororal use, comprising reducing a quantity of tobacco to a finely'divided state, mixing-said tobacco with an aqueous fluid, adding a relatively small quantity of a water dispersible cellulose to said mixture, reducing said tobacco in said mixture to a dispersion containing colloidal tobacco and fine tobacco particles and soluble tobacco constituents, adding between five and ten percent by weight of said. tobacco in said dispersion of xanthated cellulose to said dispersion, applying said dispersion to a film. forming surface, and

evaporating moisture from said material on said surface to produce substantially water impermeable films or sheets including substantially all of said soluble tobacco constituents with said tobacco suspended therein, said films or sheets retaining substantially all natural tobacco characteristics including color, taste and aroma.

2. The method of reconstituting tobacco to form self-supporting continuous tobacco films or sheets for making products for oral use, comprising reducing a quantity of tobacco to a finely divided state, mixing said tobacco with an aqueous fiuid, adding a relatively small quantity of sodium carboxy methyl cellulose to said mixture,

reducing said tobacco in said mixture to a dispersion containing colloidal tobacco and fine tobacco particles and soluble tobacco constitutents, adding a relatively small quantity ranging between five and ten percent by weight of said tobacco in said dispersion of xanthated cellulose to said dispersion, applying said dispersion to a filnr forming surface, regenerating said xanthated cellulose, and substantially simultaneously evaporating moisture from said wet film forming material on said film forming surface to produce substantially water impermeable films or sheets including substantially all of said solu ble tobacco constituents with said tobacco suspended therein, said films or sheets retaining substantially all natural tobacco characteristics including color, taste and aroma.

3. The method of reconstituting tobacco to form self-supporting continuous tobacco films or sheets for use in making tobacco products for oral use, comprising reducing a quantity of tobacco to a finely divided state, mixing said tobacco with an aqueous fluid, reducing said tobacco in said mixture to a dispersion containing colloidal tobacco and fine tobacco particles and soluble tobacco constituents, adding between five and ten percent by weight of the tobacco in said dispersion of xanthated cellulose to said dispersion, applying said dispersion to a film forming surface, and evaporating moisture from said material on said surface, and regenerating said xanthated cellulose while evaporating said moisture to produce substantially water impermeable films or sheets including substantially all of said soluble tobacco constituents with said tobacco suspended therein, said films or sheets retaining substantially all natural tobacco characteristics including color, taste and aroma.

4. The method of reconstituting tobacco to form self-supporting continuous tobacco films or sheets for use in making tobacco products for oral use comprising reducing a quantity of tobacco to a finely divided state, mixing said tobacco with an aqueous fluid, adding between one and twenty percent by weight of tobacco of sodium carboxy methyl cellulose to said mixture, reducing said tobacco in said mixture to a dispersion containing colloidal tobacco and fine tobacco particles and soluble tobacco constituents, adding between five and ten percent of the weight of the tobacco in said dispersion of Xanthated cellulose to said dispersion, applying said dispersion to a film forming surface, applying heat to said spread out material on said surface to regenerate said xanthated cellulose and substantially simultaneously remove moisture from said material on said surface to produce said films or sheets including substan tially all of said soluble tobacco constituents with said tobacco suspended therein, said films or sheets retaining substantially all natural tobacco characteristics including color, taste and aroma.

5. The method of reconstitutin tobacco to form self-supporting continuous tobacco films or sheets for use in making tobacco products for oral use, comprising reducing a quantity of tobacco to a finely divided state, mixing said tobacco with an aqueous fluid, adding a relative ly small quantity of an alkali metal salt of carboxy methyl cellulose to said mixture, reducing said tobacco in said mixture to a dispersion containing colloidal tobacco and fine tobacco particles and soluble tobacco constituents. adding between five and ten percent by weight of said tobacco in said dispersion of xanihated cellulose to said dispersion, forming said dispersion into a film on a film forming surface, regenerating said Xanthated cellulose in said film, and evaporating moisture from said film to producesubstantially water-impermeable f al re constituted tobacco films or sheets including substantially all of said soluble tobacco constituents with said tobacco suspended therein, said or sheets retaining substantially all natural to bacco characteristics including color, taste and aroma.

6. The method of reconstituting tobacco to form self-supporting continuous tobacco films or sheets for use in making tobacco products for oral use comprising reducing a quantity of tobacco to a finely divided state, mixing said tobacco with an aqueous fluid, adding between one and twenty percent by weight of tobacco of an alkali metal salt or carboxy methyl cellulose to said mixture, reducing said tobacco in said mixture to a dispersion containing said finely divided tobacco, and soluble tobacco constituents, adding between five and ten percent by weight of said tobacco in said dispersion of Xanthated cellulose to said dispersion, applying said dispersion to a film forming surface, regenerating said xanthated cellulose, and evaporating moisture from said material on said surface to produce said films or sheets including substantially all of said soluble tobacco constituents with said tobacco suspended therein, said films or sheets retaining substantially all natural tobacco characteristics including color,

taste and aroma.

7. A reconstituted self-supporting, continuous, substantially water impermeable tobacco film in which are suspended colloidal tobacco and fine tobacco particles and soluble tobacco constituents and between five and ten percent by weight of the tobacco in said film of regenerated 9 cellulose admixed with the soluble constituents of said tobacco and, said film retaining substantially all natural essential characteristics of tobacco including color, taste and aroma.

8. A reconstituted self-supporting continuous tobacco film containing finely divided tobacco and soluble tobacco constituents, and between five and ten percent by weight of regenerated cellulose admixed with said soluble constituents of said tobacco, said film being substantially water impermeable and retaining substantially all natural characteristics of tobacco including color, taste and aroma. r

9. A reconstituted self-supporting, substantially water impermeable continuous tobacco film containing finely divided tobacco, and an admixed alkali salt of carboxy methyl cellulose commingled with soluble film forming constituents of said finely divided tobacco and between five and ten percent by weight of said finely divided tobacco in said film of regenerated cellulose, said film retaining substantially all natural characteristics and properties of tobacco including color, taste and aroma.

PAUL A. SARTORETTO. JOSEPH H. CARTER, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record inthe' file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 1,121,660 Plotkin Dec. 22, 1914 1,700,595 Richter Jan. 29, 1929 1,829,559 Gilliam Oct. 27, 1931 1,870,259 McKee Aug. 9,1932 1,903,942 Reichard Apr. 18,1933 1,977,221 Yates Oct. 16,1934 2,198,188 Viscardi Apr. 23,-1940 2,216,845 Larson Oct. 8, 1940 2,357,590 Jafie Sept. 5,1944 2,393,553 Musser et al. Jan. 22', 1946' 2,420,949 Hager et al May 20, 1947 2,433,877 Wells et al Jan. 6,1948

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 261,520 Great Britain Nov. 25, 1926 282,369 Great Britain Nov. 30, 1927 484,069 Great Britain Apr. 29, 1938 570,265 Great Britain June 29, 1945 

1. THE METHOD OF RECONSTITUTING TOBACCO TO FORM SELF-SUPPORTING CONTINUOUS TOBACCO FILMS OR SHEETS FOR USE IN FABRICATING TOBACCO PRODUCTS FOR ORAL USE, COMPRISING REDUCING A QUANTITY OF TOBACCO TO A FINELY DIVIDED STATE, MIXING SAID TOBACCO WITH AN AQUEOUS FLUID, ADDING A RELATIVELY SMALL QUANTITY OF A WATER DISPERSIBLE CELLULOSE TO SAID MIXTURE, REDUCING SAID TOBACCO IN SAID MIXTURE TO A DISPERSION CONTAINING COLLOIDAL TOBACCO AND FINE TOBACCO PARTICLES AND SOLUBLE TOBACCO CONSTITUENTS, ADDING BETWEEN FIVE AND TEN PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF SAID TOBACCO IN SAID DISPERSION OF XANTHATED CELLULOSE TO SAID DISPERSION, APPLYING SAID DISPERSION TO A FILM FORMING SURFACE, AND EVAPORATING MOISTURE FROM SAID MATERIAL ON SAID SURFACE TO PRODUCE SUBSTANTIALLY WATER IMPERMEABLE FILMS OR SHEETS INCLUDING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID SOLUBLE TOBACCO CONSTITUENTS WITH SAID TOBACCO SUSPENDED THEREIN, SAID FILMS OR SHEETS RETAINING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL NATURAL TOBACCO CHARACTERSTICS INCLUDING COLOR, TASTE AND AROMA.
 8. A RECONSTITUEED SELF-SUPPORTING CONTINUOUS TOBACCO FILM CONTAINING FINELY DIVIDED TOBACCO AND SOLUBLE TOBACCO CONSTITUENTS, AND BETWEEN FIVE AND TEN PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF REGENERATED CELLULOSE ADMIXED WITH SAID SOLUBLE CONSTITUENTS OF SAID TOBACCO, SAID FILM BEING SUBSTANTIALLY WATER IMPERMEABLE AND RETAINING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TOBACCO INCLUDING COLOR, TASTE AND AROMA. 